Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid
by Captain Black Knight
Summary: Ness and Lucas are generally good kids. But what happens when they re-enact the happenings of a classic western film? What kind of mischief will they cause, and who will suffer the consequences in the end? For Star's Secret Santa Contest. Minor LucasxNana
1. Part I

Author's Notes: Wow, I finally finished this! So, I wrote this story as an entry to Star's Smashing Secret Santa Contest. I know it's a bit late, but the final result should be worth the time it took to create this masterpiece - hopefully.

A few points I'd like to make about this story:

1. This story is based on the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. For the sake of sanity and relevance, the characters and part of the plot have been changed. However, I have incorporated several quotes and film references into the story. Kudos to those who can recognize them.

2. Yes, I proofread this story before I published it, so I'm hoping that I didn't miss any typos, errors, etc. Any misspellings and/or bad grammar are intentional, especially in dialogue.

3. There is no number 3; I ate it. XD

4. Lucario's dialogue is telepathic, and the other Pokemon can speak normally.

That's about it. So, I officially dedicate this story to SL the Pyro (I wrote this for you! :-D), and I hope he/she enjoys it. The rest of you ought to enjoy it, too.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Super Smash Brothers or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid...sadly. DX So, Without further ado, I present...

* * *

Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid

The Smash Mansion is a wondrous place, which serves as a residence to some very interesting characters. If you think that this is a normal mansion with normal happenings…well then, you'd be very wrong. Allow me to tell you the tale of two boys who once caused great mischief to this place: Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid.

Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid were two young boys with special talents – they both had PSI powers. That, however, was not the only thing that forged their reputations, and it also has very little to do with the tale. What truly made history was the fact that these two boys became the leaders of a small gang of Smashers – kids, small characters, and most of the Pokemon – who caused mischief under the command of the PSI boys. They caused trouble for most of everyone in the mansion, and they even—

Wait, back up! I'm delving too deep into the story too quickly. Let me go back to the beginning and explain to you how these boys came to be Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid. That just might make more sense to you.

* * *

Ness and Lucas were sitting in their room one afternoon being incredibly bored. The reason that they were so bored is because Master Hand put the Smash Tournament on hold for a whole month – holiday reasons, I think. Anyway, the boys were bored, and they couldn't think of anything to do. That is, until someone knocked on their door.

"Come in," Lucas called to the door. The door opened, revealing the twin Ice Climbers, Popo and Nana. They both had large grins on their faces, so they must have brought some good news to the bored psychic boys. Nonetheless, they had to ask.

"So what brings you two here?" Ness inquired.

"Nana and I are having a movie night tonight, and we're inviting a bunch of the young and small Smashers to join us," Popo explained, obviously excited about the ingenious plan. "Would you two like to join us?"

"Hey, that would be fun!" Lucas answered for the two boys. "So what is the feature film tonight?"

"Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Nana announced. Ness and Lucas both ooed and awed when they found out that were going to watch such an action/adventure-filled movie. During the next few minutes the four of them made the arrangements of when and where to meet, whom to invite, and what to bring for the feature presentation. After that the Ice Climber twins left the room to get prepared for the party.

"Wow, an old Western movie," Ness mused. "I've always wanted to see one of those movies that's full of action, adventure, and funny stuff, of course."

"Yeah, me too," Lucas agreed. "I'm sure this movie night will be lots of fun."

* * *

A few hours later after everyone finished dinner, the two PSI boys made their way to the entertainment room. This room was completely equipped with a giant flat-screen TV, a Nintendo Wii, a DVD player, a popcorn machine, a soda fountain, a candy dispenser, and several places to sit, including the couch, some beanbags, and a couple reclining chairs.

Nana and Popo were already waiting in the room by the time that Ness and Lucas arrived, so all they had to do was wait for the others. Soon enough, the rest of the group filed into the room. The Ice Climbers invited Ness, Lucas, Toon Link, Pikachu, Jigglypuff, the Pokemon Trainer (Red) and his Pokemon, Yoshi, Kirby, Olimar with his Pikmin, Mr. Game Watch and Diddy Kong.

"Sweet, everyone's here!" Red exclaimed. "Let's get this party started!" Everyone grabbed popcorn, candy and drinks, and they all picked a place to sit facing the TV. Popo dimmed the lights, while Nana loaded the DVD into the player. Moments later, the screen came to life, and Nana chose the 'play movie' option from the menu.

"Shh, the movie is starting," Toon Link whispered to the group. As soon as he said that, the movie began rolling the opening credits, and the party commenced.

The old Western movie played on for hours, mesmerizing its audience, as if it had cast a spell on its viewers. They made almost no noise at first. All that could be heard was laughter during funny scenes, gasps and cheers during action scenes, and the occasional whisper of "Pass the popcorn" during the slow parts of the movie.

As the end credits indicated the end of the movie party, the group got up to stretch or yawn. Part of the group decided to stay awake and play video games for a few hours, while others called it quits for the night, including Ness and Lucas. The two of them bid good night to the others and returned to their room, hoping to sleep well that night.

As the boys slept, images of the movie flashed through their minds, causing them to be restless. They spent the entire night thinking of nothing but the infamous Butch Cassidy and his partner, the Sundance Kid, as well as their adventures.

The PSI boys awoke the next morning to sound of knocking on their door. Lucas groaned and slowly made his way to the door to answer it. He opened it to reveal Nana, Popo and Toon Link standing before him.

"Hey guys," Lucas weakly said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing at our door this early in the morning?" Ness climbed out of bed moments later and stood beside the blonde boy.

"Hiya guys!" Nana exclaimed, clearly wide-awake. Popo and Toon Link also showed signs of having plenty of energy. "We wanted to cause a little mischief this morning. Wanna help?" Lucas was skeptical at first, but when they found out that mischief meant pulling a small prank on a few of the Smashers, Ness became excited to be involved. Lucas decided to not argue about it and just play along.

Ness and Lucas followed the Ice Climbers and Toon Link as they made their way to the corridor that led to the dining hall. The five of them hid within a doorway that cut into the wall. After cramping into the tiny space, Popo explained what they were going to do.

"Breakfast will be served soon, so the others will make a mad dash to get first dibs on food," he stated. "Sonic will likely be the first and the fastest one to get here, so when he comes along, that's when we make our move. Got it?" Everyone nodded and ducked down to wait. Ness poked his head out from behind the corner of the doorway to look out for any approaching Smashers. After a few minutes some of the Smashers like Wolf, Mario and Ganondorf, began to make their way to the dining hall. Sonic appeared and raced past the group, yelling his annoying trademark catchphrase "You're too slow!" along the way.

"Sonic is coming this way right now!" Ness whispered as he ducked back behind the doorway. Nana then peeked her head out just enough to see Sonic zooming towards them. At the very last second she threw a banana peel into his path, and Sonic couldn't stop himself in time. He slipped on the peel, and due to the ridiculously high speed at which he was running, he skidded on the peel across the hall, eventually slamming face-first into the wall at the end.

Wolf and Ganondorf instantly burst into laughter after seeing the incident that just occurred before them, especially since Sonic's face became stuck in the wall. Mario, however, dashed towards Sonic, attempting to pull his face from the wall. Once he did so, Mario watched Sonic sit on the carpet, rubbing his forehead.

"Sonic, are you okay?" Mario inquired with concern. "What the heck happened back there?" Sonic didn't say anything at first, perhaps because he was dizzy from the facial impact into the wall, but then he managed to mutter something about being just fine. He put up a thumbs-up, smirked, and then fell back unconscious. Before Mario could figure out how this happened or who did this, the five kids snuck away unnoticed, even by the still-laughing Wolf and Ganondorf.

The five kids went to the lounge to celebrate the success of the prank with high-fives and pats on the backs. Red also met up with them to congratulate them on their so-called success.

"That was awesome!" Red exclaimed. "I saw Sonic slide into the wall, and I could tell that you guys did that." Toon Link nodded frantically at Red's comment. "How about we all sit together for breakfast?" Everyone agreed and headed to the dining hall for a buffet.

* * *

Endless chatter among the young boys and Nana emerged as they gathered at a table to themselves and stuffed their faces with waffles, toast and other breakfast delicacies. They brought up everything related to the movie from last night as well as this morning's prank on Sonic.

"You know what I think?" Ness questioned the group at the table. "I think that we should pull pranks on the Smashers more often." He said the last part in a slightly hushed tone, so that the other Smashers wouldn't hear him.

"You know what would be even better?" Toon Link added to the conversation. "We could do that _and_ form our own gang, like the one in the movie!" The others looked at Toon Link with interest, but Lucas eyed him with a feeling of skepticism.

"That's a great idea!" Nana agreed. "What should we name the gang? And who's gonna be the leader?"

"Whoever becomes the leader ought to be the one to name the gang," Red suggested. "Also, we could have a small spar to determine the leader, and the new leader can pick a co-leader of sorts." Everyone thought out this idea, until Red spoke up again. "So, any candidates?" Popo and Ness both raised their hands, while Nana and Lucas simply stared at them as if they were crazy.

"Then it's settled," Toon Link cut in. "We'll meet outside after breakfast and find out, between Ness and Popo, who our leader will be." Everyone agreed, even the skeptical Lucas. After all, he did want to see his friend win.

* * *

Two hours later the same table group met in the courtyard of the Smash Mansion. Ness and Popo faced each other inside a circle of the other small and young Smashers. Mr. Game and Watch, Yoshi, Kirby and some of the Pokemon overheard about this fight and decided to watch as well, perhaps also interested in joining the gang. Normal 0 !-- /* Style Definitions */ , , {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} , , {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} 1 {page:Section1;} --Nana and Lucas were cheering on their favorites, while Red and Toon Link discussed amongst themselves.

"All righty here, boys," Toon Link blurted in some strange Western accent. "Red and I are gonna make sure you two don't cheat." Red and Toon Link then assumed positions on either side of Ness and Popo. Popo then whipped out his hammer and glared at Ness, the latter of whom merely giving the other a stern look.

"Bring it," Popo muttered. Red was about to give the signal to being the fight, but Ness interrupted him.

"No, no, not yet," he said. "Not until me and Popo get the rules straightened out."

"Rules? In this fight?" Popo interrogated. "No rules—oof!" Ness interrupted Popo by kicking him in the stomach, causing him to keel over and clutch his abdomen.

"Well, if there ain't gonna be any rules, let's get the fight started," Ness retorted in such a manner that would suggest approval. "Someone call one, two, three, go!"

"One, two, three, GO!" Lucas shouted out very quickly. Ness then hit Popo square across the face. The former used so much force that his inertia caused him to spin and fall to the ground. The latter fell to the ground very roughly and clutched his face; he was hit so hard that his nose began to bleed. Nana and Yoshi rushed to Popo's side and attended to his wounds, astounded by Ness' abilities.

"I was really rootin' for ya, Ness!" Red said to him. Ness chuckled and grinned as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Well, thank you, Red," he replied, patting him on the back.

"Well, then it's settled!" Toon Link yelled. "The leader of our new gang shall be Butch Ness!" Some of the group cheered at this announcement. Others simply smirked and stared at Ness, especially since he was granted a new nickname. Nana and Lucas had other feelings that couldn't quite be explained.

"If that's the case, I get to pick a gang name and a co-leader," Ness thought out loud. "I choose Lucas. He'll be the Lucas Kid." Lucas felt rather flattered that he would help his friend lead a gang, even if he thought it wasn't exactly the best idea. Thus, he approved the appointment. "As for a gang name…"

"What about the 'Wild Bunch'?" Kirby suggested.

"Nah, that's too cliché," Ness answered. He pondered the thought for a few more seconds and then said, "I'll call it the 'Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang'."

"I approve," Popo said even while clutching his still bleeding nose. He used his free hand to congratulate Ness on his victory and his skills with a thumbs-up. Ness beamed at him and the others. The newly formed gang made its way back inside the mansion.

Little did they know that two figures were spying on the group from afar, curious and yet nervous of the things that the new group could possibly scheme.

"I have a very bad feeling about this," a certain Captain Olimar whispered, patting the heads of his Pikmin.

"Me too," a certain Diddy Kong agreed. The two of them continued to look on at the 'Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang', eager to find out what the gang members were going to do next.

* * *

Approximately two-and-a-half weeks went by as the Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang slowly dominated the Smash Mansion. The things they did at first were simply the things that typical children would do on the playground at school – pulling pranks on the others and collecting candy wherever they went, but after a while the pranks soon elevated into minor offenses and then borderline major crimes. But I'll get back to that later; first I need to explain the situation between a certain blonde boy and a girl in a parka.

Shortly after Ness and Lucas became the leaders of the new gang, the other members looked up to them and took a greater liking to them. Nana especially took a greater liking to Lucas. There was something about Lucas that Nana adored – something that Nana hadn't seen in him before. Whenever the gang wasn't causing mischief around the mansion, Nana and Lucas would hang out with each other and spend some quality time together, without having to deal with the rest of the gang.

At this particular point in time Nana and Lucas were outside at the back of the mansion. Lucas found a bicycle that no one was using, and so he took it for himself. The two of them decided to go for a ride on the bike, despite the fact that it was a bit difficult to share one bike between two people at the same time. Nonetheless, they still had fun enjoying themselves in the fresh air and under the warm sun.

"Shall we have lunch together?" Nana made the invitation to Lucas. He grinned and walked with her to the dining hall of the mansion, the two of them walking hand-in-hand as they went inside. Of course, Lucas forgot about the bike, and Ness picked it up after Nana and Lucas went inside.

"Of course he would forget about this," Ness thought aloud as he went for a ride on the bike, performing a few tricks as he rode. "Oh well, it's mine now."

* * *

Meanwhile a small group of Smashers gathered in the lounge, and surprisingly it wasn't the Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang – they were still stuffing their faces in the dining hall. They were sitting in one corner of the room as they listened to the speeches of a certain space man and a certain monkey.

"This has gone on for too long!" Olimar, the first speaker, complained to his small audience. "That Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang has completely taken over Smash Mansion, and it seems like no one is willing to do anything about it!"

"Olimar, I think you're overreacting about this ordeal," Peach, one of his listeners, softly expressed her opinion. "They are just kids, after all."

"That is not the case!" Diddy Kong, the other speaker, strongly retorted. "They're not just kids. Yoshi, Kirby, Mr. Game and Watch and most of the Pokemon are also members of the gang."

"Although that is true, that gang is only causing mischief," Marth put in his two cents. "It's not like they have done any serious harm."

"Ah, now that is where you'd be wrong," Olimar countered the prince's words. "Do any of you remember the time that Sonic slipped and skidded into the wall?" A few listeners murmured amongst themselves. "Well, that accident was the result of a banana peel that was placed in front of him by a few members of the Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang, particularly the leaders, Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid. So in essence, they were the ones that pulled the prank on Sonic. Sure, it might have been all in good fun, but Sonic could have been seriously hurt!" More listeners conversed amongst themselves, deciphering the meaning of Olimar's explanation.

"Wait a minute, how did you find out about that prank?" Falco inquired. "And how did you find out the names of the leaders?"

"To answer your question, Falco," Olimar started. "I found out about the prank from Wolf and Ganondorf. They saw what happened to Sonic, and they burst out laughing. Mario tended to Sonic's wounds, and he found the banana peel. He also caught a glimpse of the culprits, especially Ness and Lucas, sneaking away. That's what Mario told me." Falco simply scoffed. "As for the names of the leaders, Diddy and I personally spied on the gang, and we overheard them granting leadership to Ness and Lucas as well as giving them their new gang titles."

"Well, those are just small pranks, and Sonic was just being an idiot, right?" Captain Falcon cut in.

"Or so you think," Diddy quickly dismissed the racer's thoughts. "They only began as pranks. The gang did small stuff, such as making people slip on banana peels and dying the pool water to make it orange, and they got a few laughs out of such. But as the time went by, the gang decided to step it up a notch, and eventually their pranks turned into serious offenses! For example, they vandalized Snake's cardboard box, and they ransacked Luigi's room and took some of his stuff! What's worse is that they tried to make homemade explosives, but they nearly killed Link in the process!"

"What?! How could they do that?" Samus cried out as the others chattered even louder at Diddy's testimony.

"Don't worry, Samus," Olimar told her. "Link is currently being treated in the infirmary, and he'll be fine soon." Samus calmed down a bit, but she couldn't help but express a feeling of concern – or even fear.

"I'm not sure how they could do that or why they would, but what Olimar and I do know is that this gang has become far too dangerous for us to merely ignore."

"Diddy and Olimar are right," Meta Knight added. "If we allow them to continue their actions, they could eventually destroy the mansion or kill some of the Smashers, as was nearly the case for Link. We must do something to stop this gang from causing further harm, and the best way to do that is to confront the leaders." A couple of the listeners agreed with Meta Knight with shouts and cheers, while others remained quiet to hear the rest of what Meta Knight had to say. "Once we do that, the mansion should be at peace once more."

"So let me get this straight," Lucario started. "We have to restore peace to the mansion by disbanding the gang, and in order to do that, we must get rid of the gang leaders. So that means that we can either kill the leaders, lock them away, drive them out of the mansion, or simply make them change their ways. After that we can punish the remaining gang members for their actions. Is that what you're saying?" Meta Knight simply nodded at Lucario's summary.

"All right then, let's get to work on this now," Olimar suggested. "Who's with me?" Everyone who was listening to him and Diddy Kong raised their hands, some very excited about this plan of action and others somewhat reluctant to take part in the plan.

""Well, that's ten of us," Diddy Kong stated. "While we're at it, we can try to recruit even more Smashers to help us execute this plan. So, with that said let's take down Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid!" Everyone shouted and cheered as they became pumped up with excitement and energy.

However, what these listeners didn't realize was that their plan had already been ruined before it even started. Two rather young Smashers were hiding behind the wall, eavesdropping on the group and the conversation that was occurring.

"Well, it seems that we now have some opposition," Red commented.

"Yeah, no doubt on that," Toon Link agreed. "Come on, we have to warn the gang about this." Red nodded, and the two of them took off as quickly as possible to meet up with the gang.


	2. Part II

Author's Notes: Whoa, there's a Part II? Yes, I know that Star's Smashing Secret Santa Contest is supposed to be for oneshots only, but Star gave me permission to make this story a twoshot, and for good reason, too.

Anyway, in addition to the points I made before, I'd like to add these points:

1. I apologize for any OOCness that might have occurred in this story. I did my best to keep the characters as accurate as possible (with the exception of a few characters).

2. Don't ask about the postal system. It doesn't make much sense, I know, but that's how I wrote it. This is a fan-fic; it's not supposed to be perfectly realistic, is it?

So, I hope you enjoy the rest of this story - especially you, SL the Pyro. I worked hard on this.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Super Smash Brothers or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

* * *

Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid Part II

Later that afternoon the gang gathered together in the official headquarters: the attic. They all knew that no one ever goes up there except Master Hand, and even he rarely makes a trip up to the dark room with the storage boxes and the cobwebs. The Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang, however, took advantage of this point and claimed the attic as the hideout of the gang members. Of course, they had to do a bit of spring-cleaning, but otherwise it was perfect for their objectives.

Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid took their seats on top of some cardboard boxes marked with their names on it. The others took their seats on the floor, and all of them stared at Red and Toon Link, eagerly awaited the message that they were about to deliver. The two boys stood before the group and spoke up.

"Butch, Kid, we have some news for you," Red started. "Olimar and Diddy Kong have gathered a group of Smashers, and they have created an opposition group. Now they're out to destroy this gang and get rid of you two!"

"That can't be!" Lucas reacted. "Did you see who the Smashers were?"

"Besides the two of them, we saw eight other Smashers," Toon Link answered. "We couldn't tell exactly who they all were, but we caught glimpses of a few faces: Falco, Samus, Marth, and Lucario. Judging by the voices we heard, we also think that Zelda, Peach, Captain Falcon, and Meta Knight are involved in this as well, but we can't confirm that."

"What? Are you serious?" Ness interrogated. "How did they even find out about us? We have been working in secret most of the time."

"Apparently Olimar and Diddy Kong have been spying on us ever since the gang was first established," Red replied. "They have also been gathering information from other Smashers who apparently bore witness to some of the things that we did." Ness sighed in frustration and gathered his thoughts.

"Okay, here's what we need to do: we need to prepare ourselves with as many weapons as possible, and we also need to gather top-notch tools and important supplies and equipment. We'll cause chaos in the mansion and confront the new opposition group. While they are distracted, the Kid and I will take off to another hideout with some supplies, and we'll live in secret, plotting new ideas and objectives in the meantime. After the opposition falls apart, we'll come back and reunite the gang members to take over the mansion once again. Got it?"

"But Ness," Popo started. "What will happen if you two don't come back?" Ness was taken aback by this question.

"Don't worry about us," Lucas answered. "We'll be all right as long as no one finds us, and no one will find us." No one said anything for a moment until Nana spoke up.

"I'm going with you," she stated strongly. Ness stared at her and Lucas gasped a bit. Neither of them expected Nana to be willing to accompany them on their hiatus, and at the same time neither of them seemed to be willing to put her in a risky situation because of them.

"But—"

"No buts about it. I'll go with you, and I won't whine, and I'll sew your socks, and I'll stitch you when you're wounded, and I'll do anything you ask of me except one thing. I won't watch you die. I'll miss that scene if you don't mind." Both boys just stared at Nana without a word to say. They weren't about to argue with her at this point.

"Alright then, you can go with us," Ness finally said to her with a tone of agreement. "As for the rest of you, hold down the fort until we get back. I don't know where we'll end up or how long it will take us to return, but I assure you all that we will return. Is that clear?" The rest of the group nodded, telling Ness that they understood him.

"Right, then we'll leave tomorrow at the crack of dawn," Lucas added. "Tonight we need to prepare ourselves and then get some rest." The gang spent the rest of the day preparing for the upcoming struggle against the opposition. They reported to the armory of the mansion in order to gather weapons – things like Bob-ombs, Ray Guns, Beam Swords, and Ness' favorite: Baseball Bats. Afterwards they each returned to their rooms in order to pack their supplies or set up defenses.

Ness and Lucas returned to their rooms late that night, both tired yet restless as a result of their anxiety towards tomorrow's events. As they lied in their beds, they let their brains wander. Ness continued to plot ideas and come up with a number of ways to make their latest plan work. Lucas, on the other hand, couldn't help but think of the number of ways that this could go entirely wrong. Even with Nana's help he felt that they were still doomed. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and decided to stay optimistic about the whole thing.

"Ness," Lucas started as he turned to look at him. "Have you thought about where we're going?" Ness turned to look back at Lucas.

"You know, Lucas, I don't quite know where we're headed," he answered. "I do know that wherever we end up, the place will be nice." Lucas lied in silence, contemplating Ness' words. "Well, good night, pal."

"Good night, Ness," Lucas replied. The two boys curled up in their blankets and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning the Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang was wide-awake as the sun rose over the horizon. Ness, Lucas and Nana stood by their means of transportation – the Blue Falcon apparently – as they finished loading their supplies into it. The rest of the gang stood by them with their weapons ready if needed.

"So, are you two ready to go?" Lucas asked Ness and Nana, both of whom appeared to be eager to escape yet saddened by their departure at the same time.

"I'm ready," Nana answered quietly after giving her brother a warm hug.

"Well, we had better get out of here quickly before trouble occurs," Ness cut in. "Red, Toon Link, I'm putting you two in charge of things until we return. Got it?" They both nodded, assuring Ness and Lucas that everything would be just fine under their control. With that confirmed everyone made their final goodbyes, and Ness, Lucas and Nana took off into the distance with the Blue Falcon. As the three of them rode away, they saw the rest of the gang brandish their weapons and charge back into the mansion to start a ruckus, hopefully to attract the attention of the opposition group and keep them distracted.

They rode on for a few hours until one minor problem occurred: the Blue Falcon ran out of fuel. It slowed to a complete stop, and the passengers exited the vehicle, annoyed by this setback. They found themselves in the middle of a large field that seemed to be nearly void of inhabitants. Lucas looked around and took in the sight.

"Well, I don't know where exactly we are, but it seems like we got far enough away," Lucas thought aloud.

"That Blue Falcon is absurdly fast, and we drove it for a long time, so that sounds about right," Nana added as she also looked around. Ness stared off into the distance and pondered their points. Even though they managed to get far away from the mansion and the opposition group, he still felt a bit uneasy about their situation.

"We should still try to seek a sanctuary," Ness said to the others. "Something tells me that Olimar and Diddy Kong are going to try to hunt us down once they realize that we're gone. If that's the case, them we have to make sure that they never catch us." Lucas and Nana looked at each other and silently expressed the fact that Ness had made a good point. They all looked at the stationary Blue Falcon with a defeated expression and noted they had to find the nearest shelter on foot. They chose a random direction and took off in said direction.

After an hour the three gang members made their way into a town that looked somewhat run-down. The town wasn't exactly bustling with millions of people, but it wasn't a ghost town either. Judging by the roughly estimated size of the town and the number of buildings within it, they could guess that the population was approximately a thousand residents. They entered the nearest building in sight and noted that the place was some kind of local bar. As they made their way up to the bar itself, they were greeted by the bartender, a resident who looked like a teal-colored bird with a mustache.

"Well, howdy there!" he said to them. "Can I fix you up with some drinks?"

"Sure, that would be great, Mr. Um…Mr.—"

"The name is Brewster Garris, young lady," Brewster said, finishing Nana's sentence for her. "Go on, you three, take a seat, and I'll hook you up with my specialty." They did as they were told and pulled up three bar stools. They took in the nostalgic feel of the bar as Brewster prepared three drinks for them.

"You know, I haven't ever seen your faces 'round these parts before," Brewster said as he brought them their drinks. "Since it's your first time here, the drinks are on the house."

"Well, much obliged, sir," Lucas replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"Yep, and I figured that since the alcohol here is a bit strong and that no one orders it anyway, you guys would just settle for my trademark Brewster Cappuccino Floats."

"They certainly are delicious, Brewster," Nana pointed out as she tasted her drink.

"Well, thank you. So, you three seem to be here from a faraway place. What brings you all the way out here?"

"We're having some problems," Ness answered in an uneasy tone. "Let's just say that the people back home are hating us and want to see us dead. We had no choice but to leave our friends behind and get away from these haters. So we ended up here."

"Well, that's a shame to hear," Brewster replied as he was cleaning the bar glasses. "I can't solve all of your problems, but I'm sure there's something that I can do for you." Ness and Lucas looked at each other and considered his offer to help.

"Could you find us food and a place to stay for the night?" Lucas asked with a slight desperation.

"Well, certainly! It just so happens that my bar is also a mini-hotel. It's not the greatest-quality place to be, but it's comfortable enough. I'll give you three a room for the night, and I'll throw in a fine breakfast if you three agree to assist me with my errands tomorrow morning."

"I have a question," Nana interrupted. "Why is this town looking rather run-down?" Brewster stroked his chin and pondered his question for a moment.

"I'm not quite sure, but I think it's because of the overall standard of living here. The crime rate has gone up over the years, and that has put a rather large dent in the economy as a result. Some people became poorer and more fearful of their community, and so they moved out. Those who stayed managed with what they had and held their own. There are few people here who are living rather well because they're either incredibly rich or incredibly lucky, and they tend to run the town. No one really bothered to keep the community in tip-top shape, because they thought that the criminals would ruin everything anyway." The three patrons listened to Brewster as he told the tale of the condition of the town, drinking their floats as they did so. "So anyway, do we have a deal?" Ness and Lucas spoke among themselves in a whisper, considering his offer.

"We'll take it, Brewster," Ness finally answered, accepting the offer.

"Excellent!" Brewster exclaimed. "Hmph, it's already late. I suggest you three get to your rooms soon. Here is the key. You'll find the room number on it and the respective door." He handed Ness the room key and pointed in the direction of the stairs leading to the hotel rooms.

"Thanks again, sir," Ness replied as he accepted the key. "We'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early." The three of them finished their drinks and made their way up the stairs, giving Brewster another glance before moving out of sight. They entered their room and settled in, instantly falling asleep the second they made contact with their beds.

* * *

Ness, Lucas and Nana awoke the next morning to some rather loud knocks on their door. Lucas slowly stood from his bed and sluggishly walked to the door to answer it. He opened the door and came face-to-face with Brewster.

"Good morning, you three!" he said cheerfully. "I figured that you wouldn't want to sleep your whole day away, so I took the liberty to wake you. Also, this telegram is for you."

"Gee thanks," Lucas said groggily and half-heartedly, taking the telegram from him. "Give us a moment; we'll be downstairs soon." Brewster nodded and walked away. Lucas shut the door and staggered back to the bed. He then noticed that Ness and Nana were awake and a bit more alert than he was at the moment. He then noticed the time of day and groaned at how early they woke up.

Ness eyed Lucas and took the telegram from him. He opened it and began to read it. When he finished, he had a greatly confused look on his face. He then decided to read aloud the telegram to the others:

_To Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid,_

_The situation at Smash Mansion is not bad, but it's not good either. The bad news is that the opposition group – now known as "The Posse" – has captured some of the gang members for information. The good news is that we're slowly weakening the group; some of their members have either been heavily wounded or they have given up the fight. However, Olimar and Diddy Kong aren't finished. In fact, they have sworn to track you down if you don't return to the mansion and surrender yourselves to them. We're doing all that we can to make sure that they don't get to you. We're not sure where you are, but you're probably just fine wherever you are. Stay out of trouble; we'll let you know when it's safe to return to the mansion. Until then, take care._

_Red and Toon Link_

_P.S. Captain Falcon found out about the stolen Blue Falcon, and he's pissed off. Don't run into him if you know what's good for you._

The three of them had mixed feelings about the information in the telegram. Lucas sighed with relief by the fact that the gang was still holding out well. Nana was absolutely mortified by the fact that some of their allies had been captured and that Olimar and Diddy Kong were after them. Ness was taking in both sides of the situation pretty well, but his uneasiness was welling up inside of him again. Meanwhile, Brewster had no idea that he was aiding 'criminals', that foolish bird.

The three of them met up with Brewster, and he treated them all to a fine breakfast. Afterwards they assisted him with some errands such as cleaning the bar area and fixing up the beds of the hotel rooms. Brewster was definitely grateful for their help, yet the three gangsters inwardly cursed themselves for doing 'honest work'. Suddenly the bar door broke open, and a man stood before them, breathing heavily.

"Violent people…heading this way!" he cried.

"Crap," Ness said quietly. "Sorry, Brewster, but we have to leave now!" He and the others took off without another word to the generous bartender. Off in the distance Lucas could see the group of people riding towards them.

"Just as I feared," Lucas muttered. "Olimar and Diddy sent their group to track us down. We have to avoid them at all costs!" Ness and Nana didn't even have to say anything, since they knew exactly what to do in a situation like this: they took off sprinting like cheetahs.

The trio eventually made it to the next town, exhausted and out of breath. They couldn't exactly escape on the Blue Falcon, since it had no fuel, so traveling on foot was their only choice. They settled into the local hotel and hid there for the night. They missed the hospitality that Brewster showed them, but the service here was almost as good. However, the next morning proved to be a rather rude awakening, for the Posse's trackers followed them again. They had to take off once again to avoid capture, but this time they stole a few horses for travel.

"Ah, you're just wasting your time," Ness said after Lucas panicked from seeing the trackers again. "They can't track us over rocks."

"Tell them that," Lucas retorted. Ness looked back and noticed that the trackers didn't even slow down.

"Who are those guys?" Ness thought aloud as they rode off towards the next sanctuary. Ness, Lucas and Nana continued this cycle for several days, repeating every part of the process carefully. The concept of fleeing to different towns, seeking food and shelter, and escaping from the Posse's trackers was beginning to be rather tiresome. After a week and a half of fleeing Nana couldn't take it anymore. One night as the group settled into another hotel, she packed her belongings, wrote a note for the boys and took off into the darkness, likely to return to Smash Mansion.

* * *

Ness and Lucas awoke the next morning, wondering where Nana could have gone. They found the note that she left, but they received another telegram that morning as well. They decided to read Nana's note first.

_Dear Ness and Lucas,_

_You're probably wondering where I went and why I left. By the time you find this note, I will have already traversed halfway back to the mansion. The reason I decided to return to the mansion is because of my frustration with the constant running and hiding that we have gone through for the past several days. I'm truly sorry for saying this, but I can't take it anymore. I told you before that I refuse to watch you die, and so I'm not going to take that chance. Should you decide to return to Smash Mansion, we might meet up again, and I will make it up to you then. Until that happens, good luck and stay safe, especially you, Lucas._

_Nana_

Ness looked at the note in silence, unsure of how to react to her words. Lucas then picked up the telegram and read it aloud.

_To Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid_

_The situation at the mansion is looking better. The captured gang members have escaped from the Posse. The Posse is weakening, and we think that the group is going to give up soon. Olimar and Diddy King have even notified the trackers to cancel to mission to find you guys. That ought to be good news, right? So, our point is that it's pretty safe for you to return to the mansion. We can regroup and once again become the notorious Hole-in-the-Brawl Gang! Please come back soon; we need our leaders!_

_Popo_

Lucas noticed something odd about this telegram: the handwriting was incredibly sloppy and messy, as if Popo was in a huge hurry to write it. It didn't make sense to him, but he decided it wasn't that big of a deal.

"So, shall we go back?" Lucas asked Ness.

"Well, if Popo says it's okay to return, then we ought to return," Ness answered with some confidence. So the two of them gathered themselves and left the hotel, setting off on their trip home.

However, the trip home was not easy at all. On the way they encountered several groups of thugs and other criminals, and so they had to fight them off in order to keep going. Most of the fights were simple, though, as they only needed to use their special PK moves to thwart the enemies. "PK Fire!" "PK Thunder!" and the like could be heard for miles.

The trip back to the mansion took almost a week, but Ness and Lucas finally returned. They were told that it was safe for them to come back, but they decided to take precautions in case something went wrong in the time it took them to return.

"Are you ready, Kid?" Ness asked his partner as they carefully approached the double doors of the entrance.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Butch," Lucas answered with a nod. They readied their weapons, kicked open the front doors, and entered the foyer.

"FIRE!" Was all they could hear, in addition to several gunshots and battle cries. Soon after that everything went black.

* * *

And so, Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid did well in outplaying the Posse, but in the end they returned to a rather misfortunate fate. However, the truth is that no one really knows what happened to the two of them in the end. Some people believe that they died where they stood. Others believe that they fended off the attackers and fled the scene. What we do know is that the second telegram from Popo was actually written by a member of the Posse, and so they were tricked. We also know – and ought to remember – that the names of Butch Ness and the Lucas Kid will live on forever in infamy.


End file.
